BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Increases Stock Holdings in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 494.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 440,494 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 366,331 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $8,140,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies by 38.7% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,426,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,669,000 after acquiring an additional 956,744 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Albertsons Companies by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,624,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,337,000 after purchasing an additional 924,519 shares during the period. Lubert Adler Management Company LP lifted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 47.1% in the second quarter. Lubert Adler Management Company LP now owns 2,664,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,629,000 after purchasing an additional 852,857 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 546.6% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 954,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,849,000 after buying an additional 806,800 shares during the period. Finally, Murchinson Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $14,719,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI opened at $19.37 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.49. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.80 and a 52-week high of $23.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $18.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.52.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 49.50% and a net margin of 1.25%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 28th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 28.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Melius Research raised shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Melius upgraded shares of Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Albertsons Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.58.

Albertsons Companies Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company’s food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.